A mother accidentally left her child behind on the train

I had to head back home after the holidays, and with the journey being rather lengthy, I decided to book myself a seat in a train compartment.

My ticket granted me the top bunk, which didnt really bother meI had every intention of sleeping all the way anyway. My travel companions turned out to be a mother and her little boy, no more than four. I was convinced the child would be noisy and disruptive, but much to my surprise, he was remarkably well-behaved and quiet. Once her son had drifted off, the mother and I chatted a bit, shared some tea, and settled down for the night.

When morning broke, I was jolted awake by someone knocking at the compartment door. Two police officers stepped inside. Have you seen the child? one of them asked. Hes right there, on the top bunk, asleep, I replied. In the corner, the boy could be seen curled up, sleeping peacefullyperhaps a bit chilly, I thought. Well need to ask you a few questions, they said.

Apparently, the mother had gotten herself rather tipsy the previous evening. Somewhere along the line, she got off at the wrong station. By the time she came to her senses in the morning, she was convinced her son had been kidnapped, so she summoned the police. They hurriedly searched for the child throughout the train. It turned out she was simply intoxicated and forgot shed left her boy in the compartment.

Its unsettling to imagine what goes through the mind of such a parent, so reckless and out of control. Luckily, she forgot about him, and he slept quietly through the night. Otherwise, she might have wandered off with him to some forgotten rural village, dozed off en route, and lost him in the woods.

What became of that boy, I can’t say. I sincerely hope his mother faced some consequences for her actions. Still, I doubt a fine would make a lasting impression on someone so careless when it comes to looking after such a precious child.